Combined mailbox and illuminated sign



Sept. 7, 1948.

E. ZACHARIAS COMBINED MAILBOX AND ILLUMINATED SIGN Filed Jun 22, 144

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Y Wm ZZTOR.

Patented Sept. 7, 1948 Z i: c v. if?

COMBINED MAILBOX AND lLlQUil'nNATEii y SIGN Erhard Zacharias, New York, N; Y5, assign, to

Postal Advertising ('Jorporatiom: New York, N. Y., a corporation of NewiYork-n i 7 Application June 22, 1944, serialjNo; 541,530;

2 Claims. (Gl..4l)-'1 32)w e c Thisinvention relates-toan advertising device videdwith extensions 8; forming-frames '9 =a;bo've combined with a, depository cabinet havingi'parand parallel to thefront wall of the letter box; ticular reference to astructure which is suitable and having guideWay l fer Panels fl y in. designand utility features to be locatedin a inserted on-the front and-above the letter boxi P l c place, ason the public sidewalk in a city, Similar frames may beprovided at the back' ofi t a postal letter box, and more particularly the letter box. 1 i tov a construction providing exchangeable adver- Theextensiens i' 'si; 9, and P51 8 tising. means at the. outside of the device. t COnstitllte e p me t'sf l2", I3 adj 6 t to- In most of the structures of this type hitherto theside Walls and onthe top of the letter- 15cm: known a-box-like hoodiisuattached to the topof 10 Saideempeiltmehts-eleepen atthetbp and cov-t the letter box, said hood carrying all the adverr d bya detachable hood-l4. thecom tising means to be combined with the letter box. p I2, I31 illuminating mee'hsueueh'ilas It is an object of this invention to use not only eehdeseeht 19131158501 neona prm h the space above the letter box for advertising purwhereby the advertisements 0n the P s c he poses but also the space adjacent to the side made l y ViSihle during the night- Walls. The compartments l2, l3 may also be used for Another object of the invention is to provide the arrangement of y p ca 1 acoustical compartments adjacent to the top and side Walls Vices, Such talking m e 01' t si at the outside of the letter box, adapted to re Vices, projecting pictures on the p s 7, ll ceive exchangeable transparent or translucent emitting Sound Waves Which ay s through p nels showing advertisements, and illuminated holes provided in d p by illuminating means placed in these compart- The hood M is Composed of a central p ments. and exterior parts l8 articulated at said central It is a further object of the invention to con- P y nges IS. The exterior part8 e struct the combined advertising device and letranged in the path of the removable panels 1, ter box as a single unit in which the carrier of d present doors which allow the access to the the advertising means and the letter box are panels and the exchange 0f the Same when turned made of one piece simplifying thereby the manuupwardly- Therefore, e panels y be '6- facture and reducing t dimensions of the moved from or inserted into the frames without vice to aminimum. removing the hood I4. The parts I8 are held in Th foregoing and other objects f t inven. closing position by bolts 20 which are rotatably tion will be apparent from the following descripmounted at the inside of the hood around an tion of an embodiment thereof illustrated in the axis normal to the Surface of said hood. Any accompanying drawings in which; well known locking device having a key hole (in- Fi 1 is a perspective View of the letter box dicated at 2|) leading to the outside of the hood provided with the advertising device according may be pr vided to rotate the bolts 20 Parallel to the invention; to the surface of the hood and to allow thereby Fig. 2 is a front view, partly in section of a the opening movement of the P unit constructed according to the invention, and The letter box the extensions 8, and the Fi 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line 40 frames 5, constitute a u consisting of a in le 33 of Fig. 2. piece the manufacture of which is relatively inex- Referring to the drawings, l i a, l tt b x pensive, and permits the use of a maximum of of u ual t u ti 2 is a door provided in t advertising panels within a relatively small space front wall, and 3 an opening in the front Wall oi he Well s e arrangement of a relatively great the letter box for the introduction of letters or number of different devices in the comp m s other matters to be mailed. th n said un t.

The side Walls of the letter box I are provided The construction f the letter box y further at their outside withv extensions 4, said extensions be improved by the provision of a ty device forming frames 5 which are parallel to the side protecting the content of the letter hex from walls of the letter box. Grooves 6 in the vertical theft. This device consists of needles 22 the members of said frames serve as guides for transheads of Which are ted on a 'Od 3 fi ed t parent or translucent panels 1 which show the the inside of the letter box I along the upper advertisements and which are inserted and reborder of the opening 3 for the introduction of moved on top of the frames. letters or the like. The length of the needles 22 The upper wall of the letter box I is also prois greater than the distance between the upper and lower border of the opening 3. The needles 22 may freely swing around the rod 23 and form a curtain behind the opening 3 which threatens to wound anybody who would try to penetrate with his fingers through the opening 3.

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the specific structure shown and described but intend to claim my invention as broadly as may be permitted by the state of the prior art and the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A combined postal mailbox and advertising device consisting of, first, a mailbox of usual shape, comprising a container for mail; second, compartments provided outside of said mailbox adjacent to the four side walls of the same; two of said compartments being formed partly by walls of the mailbox and partly by frames integral with said mailbox and formed by extensions projecting laterally and upwardly from two opposite side walls of the mailbox; third, of exchangeable advertising panels removably inserted in said compartments, said panels being preferably transparent to be illuminated by appropriate means placed in said compartments; fourth, a detachable hood covering the mailbox and all the compartments surrounding said mailbox, said hood being provided with doors, each of them situated in the path of one of the compartments carryin the exchangeable advertising panels, thereby permitting easy exchange of the same.

2. In the combined device as defined in claim 1, said detachable hood shaped like a pyramid, comprising a central part forming the top of the pyramid and exterior parts articulated at said central part, said exterior parts being arranged in the path of the compartments surrounding the mailbox and resting with their outer borders on the upper borders of said compartments forming doors and giving access to the panels arranged in the compartments when turned upwardly.

ERI-IARD ZACHARIAS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 69,800 Green Oct. 15, 1867 450,379 Sinclaire Apr. 14, 1891 647,184 Hamm Apr. 10, 1900 757,403 Leveen Apr. 12, 1904 994,838 Hamm June 13, 1911 1,099,633 Anway June 9, 1914 1,108,066 Cooke et a1 Aug. 18, 1914 1,384,387 Hinckley July 12, 1921 1,468,547 Rummel Sept. 18, 1923 1,789,239 Landgraf Jan. 13, 1931 2,053,588 Voepel Sept. 8, 1936 2,313,737 De Sherbinin Mar. 16, 1943 

